I don’t care what everyone says. Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic in the French Open, and Djokovic may lose again at Wimbledon.
Djokovic comes into Wimbledon as the heavy favorite, but fans may forget how badly he faltered the last time that we saw him. He committed error after error after error, and even ended the match on a fateful double fault. While some may attribute the loss to the fact that the match was on clay, others may read a little deeper into the Djokovic loss. I certainly wouldn’t go as far as to say that the reign of Djokovic supremacy is over, but at the end of the day, he has proven that he is no immortal.
In the battle of unforced errors, Djokovic showed his ultimate weakness: he surrendered 53 unforced errors, which towered over the 29 that Nadal allowed.
While the two split winning percentage on the first serve, Nadal dominated the second serve (53%: 44%) and continued to win the match outright.
Djokovic may have won three consecutive major tournaments (and four of the last five), but he has proven that he is certainly a star able to falter.
The biggest threat to Djokovic in this tournament will be Roger Federer, who was randomly placed in the same bracket as Djokovic.
As a six-time Wimbledon champion, Federer has a confidence and familiarity with the turf as he has most certainly been there before. This poise may pose a serious threat when the two potentially face off in the semi-finals.
Federer is the No. 3 overall player in the world as of right now, but he has lost four of the last five matches against Djokovic. With the potential for rain, however, the tournament may be played inside.
This could be a huge benefit for Federer, who is regarded as one of the best indoor players in the world.
To date, Federer has won 16 Grand Slam tournaments, and another title at Wimbledon would tie him with Pete Sampras for the most wins at Wimbledon of all-time.
Djokovic’s loss at the French Open was not his only this year. The Serbian athlete also lost to Andy Murray in the Dubai semifinals as well as John Isner at Indian Wells.
Nadal, too, has a sense of bitterness surrounding him. He hopes to regain the world’s No. 1 ranking with a win in this tournament.
Djokovic is the current defending champion at Wimbledon.
"I won Wimbledon last year and became number one in the world, something I always dreamed of achieving. I can't complain about my results and I've had a fantastic career,” he explained.
There’s no denying the passion of Djokovic. He’s given much to the sport of tennis, and he gives it his all whenever he goes out to play. The tournament is incredibly important to him, and he has done nothing but show that thus far.
"It's my life, I'm in love with this sport and have dedicated everything to tennis," said Djokovic.
But as tennis fans realize, these athletes are still human, and you never know when they can falter. Expect Djokovic to go far in the upcoming Wimbledon tournament. Just don’t bet your entire estate on him winning it all.
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